British media and education group Pearson PLC on Tuesday said it will buy Brazil's Grupo Multi to strengthen its presence in the fast-growing Latin American country. Grupo Multi is the largest provider of adult English language training in Brazil.

According to Reuters, Pearson acquired the whole company for about GBP440 million (USD720 million) in cash and the assumption of a GBP65 million debt.

Pearson bought the entire stake from the Martins family and investment firm Kinea. The Martins family is Grupo Multi's majority shareholder owning a 78% stake, the report said. 

In a statement, London-listed Pearson said it expected the acquisition to help speed up the deployment of its Wall Street English language schools in Brazil. The multinational company will also use Grupo Multi's products and services in its schools business and in other countries.

Grupo Multi delivers English language courses through school brands including Wizard, Yazigi, Microlins and Skill. It serves over 800,000 students in Brazil, Reuters said.